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John_U's 1980 317 Onan

19K views 47 replies 19 participants last post by  MichaelTJD60 
#1 ·
I picked this up last fall from a guy that lives just on the north side of town, just the tractor and 47" deck. At some point, the KT17 had been upgraded to an Onan P218G, so I consider myself to have "lucked out" in that regard...

I swapped the tires and wheels over from the 210, and shot a coat of paint on the hood to match the newly powder coated sheet metal.


Just before New Year's, I drover over to meet a fellow WFM'er and pick up a couple of new toys from Iowa...






I also picked up a 54 blade locally, and had the tractor outfitted for winter (even though I only used it three times...


I also picked up a newer 46" deck with the powerflow pulley and decided to refurbish it with bearings, gator blades, belts and paint. I want to put a speed-up pulley on it, but figured I'd try it out as-is first.


I plumbed up a pair of rear hydraulic ports (it's the factory rear hydraulic kit), which I plan to use for hydraulic raise/lower upgrade on my aerator, as well as other rear implements.



My dad wanted to step up from the 208 (which he kept also), and found this 420 with weights and MCS for a pretty good deal. It needs a few things like seat suspension bushings, a good cleanup, and maybe tires.


Last week, I finally decided that I needed new shoes for the rear of the 317, as the Duro's just didn't give me an aggressive look like I wanted. I will mount them on a pair of 455 wheels.


I always have a few (dozen) on-going projects, but here is a sneak peak at one that I'm pretty excited about (second to the power steering upgrade...)
 
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#2 ·
Nice looking 317 and attachments you have acquired there. :fing32:
 
#6 ·
Put my new shoes on today. :thThumbsU






Here are a couple of pictures of the tire to deck clearance with my 46" deck, just for reference for others.


 
#9 ·
The quick couplers and lines came from another WFM member who was parting out a tractor, I had to do a little plumbing underneath with the addition of a couple tee's and rebent the rear lines for better clearance around the tiller lift bar. In all honesty, it would have been much easier to use flexible hoses than the hard steel line.
 
#10 ·
Did you get the Tee's from a JD Dealer and do you remember the number or size of them? I plan to use hose to add mine since I have access to a hyd crimper. Just have to get the Couplers from Deere and need to know the Tee size on the ends of them to plumb them in. :trink40:
P.S. I didn't see what size your new tires are? 26x12x12?
 
#11 ·
I did purchase the tees from my JD dealer, but they should be available just about anywhere, as they are regular JIC fittings. I think they are -6. The ones I used had a female swivel coupler on one leg, and male JIC on the other two legs.

The new tires are 26x12x12 Carlisle Tru Powers.
 
#12 ·
Very nice machine :fing32:
 
#13 ·
No notable progress on the 3-point, but I did head into town one evening last week to till my grandmother's and aunt's gardens.











 
#14 ·
Power steering is good. I have used parts from a 400 to do 3 tractors now.

Later,
Justin
 
#15 ·
Justin,
Are the 400 parts more bolt-in than the 318 parts I have? I have to figure out some method of squeezing the 318 orbital valve into the frame. I think I'm going to end up shortening the column so that I can raise the valve up into the tower. Should provide less fab work that having to move the trans linkage and more room for lines routing.
 
#16 ·
The way I did my conversion with the 400 parts it is completely bolt on and revesable. It is a power assist steering not true hydrostatic power steering like the 318 and other open frame 300 series tractors. Your 317 will steer like a 400 and will be like night and day from what you have right now. In my opinion the 400 power assist is the easiest way to add power steering to you 317. I will do a full write up on this conversion in a new thread later today.

Later,
Justin
 
#17 ·
So I believe I should update this thread instead of just starting a new thread. My (now) 8 1/2 month old son consumes most of my free time, that and home-ownership, but He had a good nap Saturday afternoon, so my Wife and I had some time to work on our own projects (She decided to bake :) )

I haven't figured anything out with the power steering, I'm still trying to decide which direction to head (400 vs 318 parts). The main difference being that the 400 parts provide hydraulic assist, while the 318 parts would provide complete hydrostatic steering.


I have however, had a chance to work on my 3-point hitch. I had a couple hours this past Saturday to work on the frame. I cut out some pieces of angle and welded them into the general shape I was looking for. I'm an engineer after all, so I had drown most of this assembly out ahead of time. now it's time to make it come to life....

It's no masterpiece, and it looks a bit rough for now, but it will come together quickly I think...





I only have things tacked together, so I still have some trimming of the top portion to allow clearance around the rockshaft and improve aesthetics, as well as some additional tabs and bracing and cylinder mounts to add.

I also ordered material for the rockshaft and lift arms, it should be here by the end of the week, so I'm hoping to get the rockshaft finished up next weekend.
 
#18 ·
Spent Sunday afternoon cleaning up the shed and getting the 317 ready for winter duty (in case we do get snow this year).





I'm heading up north towards I-80 this weekend to look and (and likely bring home) a 49 blower which I'm hoping I also get a lot of use out of....


I'm still chugging away on my 3-point hitch project too, I just don't have enough time to actually get it finished... I'm at the point where I just have to finish weld the bracket assembly, paint and bolt everything back together. Sure sounds simple, doesn't it?
 
#20 ·
It is the one in Morris. I talked to the guy who's father bought it new. Sounds like its hardly been used, he even has the original owner's manual. I'm driving up Saturday morning.



I finished welding up the mounting frame assembly and threw some paint on it last night.


Also rounded corners on the rockshaft tabs and painted it as well. I'll let the paint cure for a few days and reassemble over the weekend.
 
#23 ·
I usually buzz over to 39 on 17 then head north, but it's about a wash.

Coming along nicely John! I am still envious of your Tiller! Did the PTO shaft come with it? How hard and long does it take to change it out?:trink40:
The PTO was part of the package deal for the tiller I picked up last winter. It also came with a really nice model 80 cart. :thanku:
 
#26 ·
Reassembled everything yesterday after work, and even installed it on the tractor. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. I think it's much stronger than the OEM Deere hitch for the closed frame tractors, plus I can leave my rear PTO installed.







The vertical lift links do create a bit of a twist on the lower draft links since they aren't offset at all and only have a swivel on one end, but I think I have a plan to take care of that.

:trink39:
 
#29 ·
I went on an adventure Saturday morning, this followed me home.



I also reworked the vertical lift links over the weekend. While I lost the adjustment (for now), I ended up with much better geometry. I even bolted up my plow and gave it a shot in the garden. There's a bit too much trash on top to plow under, so I'll have to rake some off and toss it in the compost before finishing.





By the way, I received my seat suspension from Matt, I never knew what I was missing! Thanks Matt!
 
#31 ·
By the way, I received my seat suspension from Matt, I never knew what I was missing! Thanks Matt!
Nice Rig! What is that suspension seat off of? It looks great on there.
 
#34 ·
First of all, VERY impressive skills and mods. I am currently refreshing a 317 right now. Been working on it for a year and I, like you have children (3) so i understand things getting put on hold.
Couple questions.
3 point hitch. very nice design. are you using a JD cylinder or did you pick one up at a retail store like tractor supply or rural king?
Steering - I am trying to figure how the assisted steering works. The 400 steering column looks the same as our 317 columns. So does the cylinder just apply constant force which reduces amount of driver effort when you turning?
Thanks for you time and for posting.
John
 
#35 ·
John,

Thanks for the compliments, it's not a show-unit, but I'm aiming for a nice fit and finish as well as functionality.

The 3-point hitch cylinder is actually a rear lift (deck) cylinder off of an open frame tractor. I think it was specifically from a 400.

The 400 steering valve is inline with the steering linkage, and provides flow based on the linkage input. The system is still primarily mechanical, with hydraulic assist. I would consider this to be very similar to what most vehicles today (equipped with a Saginaw style gearbox).


The later 300's and 420/430's used what I'll call fully hydraulic steering, using a power steering control unit, often also called an "orbital valve". There is no mechanical linkage between the steering wheel and the wheels, it is controled completely hydraulically. This system uses hydraulic force (exerted through a cylinder) to control the direction of the wheels, instead of using the operator's effort multiplied through a gearbox and linkages. This type of steering requires the least amount of operator input, and remains constant regardless of speed and load on the steering axle.



Here's some more info I found on another forum:




For what it's worth, I'll be selling off the 400 valve I bought and using the 318 parts.
 
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